Valve keeper inserting tool



Mmh 2o, 1934. H R, ELUQTT 1,951,970

VALVE KEEPER INSERTING TOOL Filed April 25. 1933 mln:

'INVENTOR ATTOR N EY WITNESS:

Patented Mar. 20, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to a tool especially adapted for facilitating theapplication of a valve key to the stern of a valve before the releasingof the spring of the valve and has for the pri- 5 mary object, theprovision of a device of the above stated character which will permit aperson to easily and quickly insert a valve key to a valve stem andrelease the valve key when properly positioned without the danger ofdropping or losing the key and also permits the key to be readilypositioned on a valve stem when located in an inaccessible place.

With these and other objects in View this invention consists in certainnovel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts tobe hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

For a complete understanding of my invention, reference is to be had tothe following description and accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 isa top plan view illustrating a valve key or keeper inserting toolconstructed in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevation partly in section illustrating the same.

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional View taken on the line 3-3 of Figure1.

Figure 4 is a similar view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating the mounting ofone of the spring pressed retaining plungers.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the numeral 1 indicates tubularhandles connected together by a spring member 2. Shanks 3 are formedintegrally with the handles 1 and have their free ends arcuately curvedto form jaws 4. Formed integrally with the jaws 4 are plates or seats 5.Inwardly extending projections 6 are formed on the free ends of the jawsand cooperate with plungers 'l in removably securing a sectional valvekey 8 to the jaws, veach jaw carrying a section of the key. The plungersare notched, as shown at 9, to engage one edge of the sections of thekey, while the opposite edge of the sections is engaged by theprojections 6 and the jaws 4. The plungers 7 are normally urged towardsthe free ends of the jaws or the projections 6 by coil springs l0mounted in the handles l. The plungers 7 are slidably received in thehandles and carry finger pieces or pins 1l which operate in slots 12formed in the handles. A yoke or guide 13 is carried by one of thehandles and has the other handle extending therethrough. The purpose ofthe yoke 13 is to retain the handles in parallelism and permit a limitedseparation of the handles by the tension members 2 for the purpose ofparting the jaws 4 so that the sections of the key may be placed about avalve stem 14, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. After the positioning of thekey about the valve stem, the plungers are moved against the action ofthe springs l0 by the linger pieces 11, releasing the key and onrelaxing the grip upon the handles, the tension members 2 will separatethe jaws so that they may be withdrawn from the key without disturbingthe latter on the valve stem. Keepers can also be held in place and thevalve spring let down which will force the tool oli the keepers, leavingthe keepers in place on the valve stem. After the release of the key onthe valve stem, the usual spring seat 15 held against the valve spring,not sho-wn, may be released to assume its position over the key.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of myinvention, it will be understood that minor changes in construction,combination and arrangement of parts may be made without departing fromthe spirit and scope of my invention, as claimed.

Having described the invention, I claim:

l. A tool comprising yieldably connected tubular handles, arcuate-shapedjaws carried by the handles, projections on said jaws, spring pressedplungers slidable in the handles and having notched ends cooperatingwith the jaws and projections in gripping the sections of a valve key,linger pieces connected to the plungers for releasing the plungers fromthe key, plates on the jaws cooperating with the latter and the plungersin supporting the sections of the key, and a yoke carried by one of thehandles with the other handle extending therethrough for the purpose ofretaining the handle in parallelism and for limiting the movement of thehandles away from each other.

2. A tool comprising a pair of tubular handles, spring means connectingthe handles and permitting the latter to pivot relative to each other,means for limiting the pivotal movement of said handles and guiding thelatter during their pivotal movement, jaws carried by said handles, andspring-pressed plungers slidable in the handles and cooperating with thejaws to grip a key.

3. A tool comprising a pair of tubular handles, spring means connectingthe handles and permitting the latter to 'pivot relative to each other,a combined stop and guide means for the handles, Shanks integral withthe handles and terminating in arcuately curved portions to form jaws toengage ends of sections of a valve key, plates on the jaws to underliethe key, and spring-pressed plungers slidably mounted in the handles andoverlying the plates and having their ends notched to engage ends of thesections of the key opposite to said jaws.

HOWARD R. ELLIOTT.

